Archive for the ‘Home Improvement’ Category

Bathroom mirror is usually frameless. They are more difficult to mount because they don’t have hooks. These are the steps to glue a mirror to your room.
Before applying glue to the mirror, be sure of the location. Once the glue has dried, moving the mirror to another location will strip your wall’s paint.
Mark the location on the wall. Place a board against the wall that will hold the mirror when it is in position on the wall. Put several strips of masking tape across the board to hold it in place. Place the mirror on top of the board and have someone hold the mirror in place while you’re marking the exact location.
Apply the glue on the back of mirror at least an inch in from the outer edge. Apply all the way around the back of the mirror, and put several beads in the middle.
Hold the mirror following the lines you made on the wall. When the mirror is in place, press the mirror against the wall.
5. Use masking tape to hold the mirror while it dries. Wait for the glue to dry. After 24 hours, you can remove the masking tape strips and the board

We do agree with this believe that a happy, beautiful home is a source of confidence and joy in people’s lives. Thinking a new home decoration might stressful in you are boring, to create the ideal interior, you just need to know a few simple tricks. There is no need to begin a drastic repair or make a dramatic rearrangement. T he best part? Those minor updates are usually inexpensive and require practically no effort to complete.

Mirrors give the illusion of space

A colorful print on curtains can refresh any room

Hang curtains closer to the ceiling to create the illusion of large windows

Large plants that grow inside your house will surely catch attention and add a green touch to your space.

Schefflera (umbrella plant)

It can grow between 4 to 6 feet tall. This tropical shrub can tolerate a little bit of direct sun. Most professional growers prune this plant to increase growth and to have a better look. It is easy to maintain, though it requires a large pot to grow. Good light without direct sunlight will give you the best result for this plant.

Fiddle-leaf Fig (Ficus lyrata)

A native to western Africa. These grow up to 5 feet tall and grows best in lowland tropical rainforest. Plant this in a bright indirect sunlight. Let the soil dry completely before watering it.

Ponytail Palm

An eye-catching houseplant that doesn’t require a lot of watering, it can go for weeks. It holds a lot of moisture in its bulbous trunk. Placing this plant in a bright light spot will help it grow more healthy. You should let the soil dry completely before watering.

Common Fig (Ficus carica)

A native to the Middle East and Western Asia. It is now widely grown throughout the world. Provided with enough sunlight, this plant can bear fruit. It can grow to 7 to 10 meters.

Kentia Palm (Howea forsteriana)

A Native to Lord Howe Island (Australia). This plant does not need pruning or repotting. Even those who don’t have a green thumb can grow this because it is easy to maintain. It also doesn’t need a lot of watering, only when the soil feels dry. It is seen most often in offices. Place this plant in an area where it can receive indirect sunlight.

Croton (Codiaeum)

It can grow as big as 10 feet tall, have variegated leaves with shades of red, yellow and green. This plant needs a very bright light location to keep their bright colors. It needs a location with higher humidity.

You don’t have a disco ball for your party? This easy to make disco ball will save your money, and surely your party will shine.
You will need:
Glue
Large Balloon
Newspapers
2 Bowls (1 for mixing glue and water, and another 1 to hold the balloon)
Cover your table with some newspapers to protect from any glue spills.
Tear the newspapers into strips then put to one side.
Blow up the balloon and place in a bowl.
Mix glue and some water in the second bowl. If you think it’s too thick just add some. Mix well.
Dip the newspaper strips into glue mixture then squeeze off excess.
Smooth strips onto balloon. Repeat this process three times until the whole balloon is covered.
Leave to dry overnight.
Poop the balloon and remove it from the center. Leave a hole for hanging.
Add more layers to get the required thickness and strength. Reinforce the top of the ball with several extra layers.
Paint the entire ball gray or black (or any color you would prefer}. Allow to dry completely,
Begin applying the mirror tiles using glue. Make a straight row of the tiles around the middle of the ball. Keep adding rows until it reach the top and the bottom

Paint Fumes? No worries at all!
After painting a room of your house, surely, it’s going to smell overwhelmingly like paint fumes. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do to get rid of that smell faster. Here are some of the easy ways:
Ventilation
Opening some windows and doors during day and night are ideal. Putting a fan in the room for this period will also clear up the fumes faster.
Bucket of Water
You can simply place a few of buckets of water around the room to absorb the solvent vapors. Using the bucket method is a bit safer if you’re painting a room finished with or made with wood.
Onion
You just have to cut an onion half. Then, set them out on plates throughout the room. This will absorb the odor and your room won’t smell onions either.
Vanilla extract
Add a drop or two of vanilla extract to each gallon of paint. This will bring a much more pleasant aroma to the room you’re painting. Or, add drops of vanilla extract to cotton balls or in a small bowls of water and set them out in the room.
Light a scented candle
Place the candle on top of a bowl of water to. They burn up some of the vapors and cover the smell.
Vinegar
Place bowls of vinegar around the room to neutralize odors.
Lemon
Place lemon slices in bowls all over the newly painted room for a day or two and throw them out later to remove any unpleasant paint smells.
Charcoal
This can be used to deodorize any chemical odor. Place the small pieces of charcoal in containers and leave overnight around the room.

When tires are no longer for use for their primary purpose, they can serve as a very beautiful and interesting decoration in gardens, on terraces or yard. With their standing in the yard or behind some storage, old tires will be will be just ugly picture and on that way they will serve just to collects rainwater or as nest of mosquitoes. They can be used in a very nice and interesting way and be very useful. From used tires can be made swings, decorative flower pots, garden table and chairs as a pouffe.

Used tires can be used as mini-gardens for vegetables and flowers. There are several advantages. These mini-gardens require less water, fertilizer and fewer weeds. The black color of tires absorbs more heat from the sun and stimulates the growth of plants.

Funny how some things that are beautiful can also be damaging. For example, ice storms that coat tree limbs or more commonly, icicles which are born of a condition known as an ice dam. Ice dams are a winter roofing problem caused by poor roof ventilation and a warm attic space. Left untreated ice dams can cause serious damage to your roof, gutters, paint, insulation, drywall, structure and in some cases, even contribute to mold.
Roof ice dams will form when snow is melted by a warm roof, creating water running between the snow and the warm roof surface. The water then freezes and turns to ice when it gets past the exterior wall and hits a cold unheated roof edge or gutter. As the bottom of the snow pack continues to melt by the warm roof surface, water continues to flow down the roof surface until it hits the cold ice, refreezes and winds up increasing the size of the ice dam.
Heavy Snow Makes an Ice Dam Worse
Why? Because snow is a great insulator. Snow that is in contact with your roof will melt because the attic is above 32 degrees Fahrenheit to the point that it warms the outside roof surface and melts the snow. The snow acts as an insulating blanket allowing the outside roof surface to warm up easier from the warm attic space, thereby melting the snow faster.
Tips for Battling Ice Dams
Although ice dams are best defeated in warm weather with proper roof ventilation, there are some things you can do to beat back the formation and prevent the damage of ice dams in winter.
Use a Roof Rake: From the ground you can use a special tool called a roof rake. A roof rake is a long handled inverted shovel you use to pull snow off the roof toward you. The tool can be fixed length or telescopic and should be used to remove about 3-4 feet of snow from the roof edge. This does not solve the problem but just reduces the snow insulation layer at the roof edge which will slow down the formation of the ice dam.
Use Calcium Chloride: If you want to try and bring the battle to the ice dam it will require getting on a ladder to apply calcium chloride or some similar ice melt product directly on the edge of the roof. Make sure to use the ladder safely. If you don’t want to use a ladder and fancy yourself good at tossing things, you may want to try a product called Roofmelt which is round calcium chloride tablets you toss up on the roof.
Steam Removal of Ice Dams: OK, now you are calling in the big guns and opening up your check book. Of course you are also getting the job done while safely on the ground looking out from your window while drinking a hot cup of coffee, so hey, it’s all a trade off, right?
Steam removal is the most effective and safest way to completely remove your ice dam problem. I want to clarify, I am not recommending hot high pressure power washing which can damage your roof, but rather low pressure steam which is safe and effective. The downside is there are less roofing contractors that have this specialty steam equipment than have a power washer. But finding the right contractor will be worth the effort, even if you have to pay a bit more for the service. You can tell a steamer as it will have no trigger on the gun handle and the hose will be black. Just make sure you don’t get a contractor with a high pressure power washer up on your roof.

If you live in a home without electricity and few or no windows, it’s always incredibly dark inside, even at high noon a Liter of Light is a sustainable lighting project that is trying to help people overcome that problem with extremely simple technology

What is the Solar Bottle Bulb?

It is a simple bottle bulb, usually a 1 liter soda bottle that is filled with a solution of purified water and bleach. The bottle is inserted halfway through a hole drilled in the metal roof and its sides are sealed. The whole deal looks like a bulb through a sunroof and provides a good amount of light by deflecting sunlight into gloomy interiors.

The chlorine and bleach “poisons” the water to keep molds from developing so the solution can last up to five years. The clear and purified water helps disperse the light through refraction, so the light is not concentrated. It only costs $2-3 to make a solar bottle bulb that is bringing light to dark homes. This simple innovation is not perfect- the water needs to be replaced every five years and obviously without any provision for energy storage, the bulb will not work at night. But the advantages are overwhelming for communities that are deprived of daylight. It is surprisingly effective, using cheap and locally available materials that allows the poor in these settlements to use their homes more effectively. The bulb does not produce any harmful pollutants and also reduces the dangers from faulty and temporary electrical connections that cause devastating fires.

This project and its success is a great example of the ‘market-based’ solutions that should be pursued for socio-economic problems worldwide, strategies that are smart, effective & resourceful

Do you want a bookcase in your home in which you can display your beloved and cherished book collection? If yes then you can get one installed at any unused space in your home. For finding out that place, take a look at the ideas below:

Universal design is not, as some would think, strictly for the elderly or disabled. The concept of universal design is to make living and work spaces equally comfortable, safe, and accessible for all, regardless of height or physical ability. These ideas might help make a home safer for an older resident, but they’re pretty smart for homeowners of all ages.

Easy on the Hands. You probably don’t think much about turning a doorknob, but it can actually be quite a chore, even painful, for someone with arthritis or other conditions. Simply replacing doorknobs with lever-style hardware can make life easier for residents. Levers are also best on faucets, and illuminated rocker switches are better than the standard toggle light switches.

Friendly Floors. Slippery surfaces are not the only danger underfoot, although they’re the most obvious. All floors should be made slip-resistant, such as by adding nonskid mats under area rugs (or getting rid of the area rugs completely). Trips are as dangerous as slips, so eliminate trip points like thresholds wherever possible, or reduce their height. For those who use walkers, adds Cratsley, low-pile carpeting is safest so the walker doesn’t catch on deep pile and cause a fall.

Safe Stairs. For older people living on more than one level, stairs can be especially dangerous. Handrails are a must, on both sides of the staircase if possible. Lighting is also critical, says Cratsley, so make sure the entire stairway is well lit from top to bottom. Clearly defined steps that show where the edge of the tread is can help prevent falls.

A Well-Lighted Place. The staircase isn’t the only part of a home that needs good lighting. A dark room is an invitation to a bump or a fall, so make sure there’s adequate lighting in every room, hallway, and doorway. Entryways are especially dangerous if not well lit.

Landing Places. Fumbling with keys, packages, the mail — all can distract and unbalance someone entering or exiting a home. In addition to providing lighting at entryways be sure to have a table, bench, or other surface nearby for putting things down.

Better Baths. Most people think of shower grab bars as the way to make bathing safer. There are other ways to help ensure safety in the bath, says Cratsley. Think about adding grab bars by the toilet, too, or other places in the room where someone may need a helping hand. A step-in shower is safer than a tub, but if that’s not possible add grab bars that help someone getting in and out. A single-handled faucet control reduces the chances of scalding at the sink, and a pressure-balanced control does the same in the shower. A hand-held showerhead is often easier to use for someone with limited mobility than a fixed showerhead